A roof or floor may be constructed by fastening metal deck units together to form a deck system. The deck system may then serve as a roof or a floor, or may be covered with a layer of concrete to form a composite structure. For some applications, such as airports, stadiums, sports arenas, convention centers, schools and other large, open areas, a deck system may include sound-absorbing materials.
The ability of a deck system to support its design load is the most critical consideration. The design load for a roof begins with the weight of the roof itself and may vary with local environmental conditions, such as, for example, snow, ice and wind loads. Likewise, the design loads for floor applications vary by the use and location of the building. The strength of a deck system comes from its geometry, the choice of construction materials, and how those materials are formed, are connected and cooperate with each other and with other structural materials in the building. Finally, a deck system must be economical and its components easily manufactured, efficiently transported and simply and quickly installed at the job site. Designing an economical and practical roof or floor deck unit capable of supporting the design load presents a challenge.
Thus there is a continuing need for improvements in the design of deck units, particularly those that are designed for greater strength for a given amount of materials while remaining cost-effective.